Ricky van Wolfswinkel is a product from the Vitesse/AGOVV youth academy. He played from 1999 until 2008 in Arnhem and made his professional début for Vitesse. In 1999 he moved to FC Utrecht on a 5-year contract. He was adapted to the style of Utrecht soon and attracted the interest of bigger national and foreign clubs. After playing for several national youth selections, he won his first A-cap in a friendly against the Ukraine in August 2010.

In June 2011, highly-rated prospect Van Wolfswinkel moved abroad signing a 5-year contract at Sporting Club de Portugal. He immediately made impact in the Portuguese competition scoring a lot of goals. In March 2013 also the English were interested in the prolific topscorer of Sporting. Norwich City signed the striker on a 4-year deal starting in the summer of 2013. The transferfee is around the 10ME making Van Wolfswinkel a record signing for the English club.

His first season in England was not successful. The club relegated at the end of the 2013-14 season. Van Wolfswinkel tried his luck for the 2014-15 season on loan at French club Saint-Etienne. He returned to England at the end of his loan period.

Van Wolfswinkel moved on another one-season loan deal to Real Betis on the 1st of September 2015. At the end of the season he left Real Betis and signed a 3-year contract at his former club Vitesse. The 2016-17 season was successful with Vitesse winning the Dutch Cup. In summer 2017 Van Wolfswinkel went for another foreign adventure signing for FC Basel in Switzerland on a 2 year deal worth 5ME.